The Amador Valley boys volleyball team played their final game of the season against St. Francis High School in the first round of the CIF NorCal State Championship. The Dons had a rough start and put up a good fight in the second and third sets, but ultimately lost by a score of 3-0.

Bryce Nohava (‘23) served the game’s first hit and scored two consecutive points later on for serving. Nick Nayak (‘25) scored the second and third points for Amador and earned multiple kill shots. The final score for the first set was 16-25 for St. Francis. 

In the second and third sets, the Dons were unable to stage a comeback and lost by a harrowing margin in each set after failing to counter the Lancers’ continuous rallies. Amador lost the second set 22-25 and fell short in the final set 23-25. 

Overall, the team had a great season after winning the North Coast Section championship and earning a 28-8 overall record. They finished third in the East Bay division and overcame tough losses throughout the season. 

“We had quite a few losses that were kind of brutal, but it was nice especially in the final part of the season to play some of the teams that we lost to earlier and get our revenge on them. It definitely showed how we improved,” said outside hitter Nate Clinton (‘23). 

The Dons will miss the seniors’ presence on the team through their leadership and skills. The players have grown close to one another over the years and have garnered continuous support from their leaders. 

“I’ve really grown to love playing with [my teammates] and they are able to cheer me up on the court when I’m not doing well. I think our program’s definitely in good hands because there are a lot of sophomores and juniors who will be really good leaders on the team next year,” said Clinton. 

Underclassmen on the team expressed gratitude for their achievements and the knowledge they were able to obtain. Players look forward to training hard over the summer and taking on bigger roles to succeed next season.

“I feel like it was a good season. We did a good job persevering through the bad times as a team. We can continue to work together and get better as a team. It will definitely be different not having any of our seniors next year, they were definitely a big part of the team. But I feel like us underclassmen will rise to the responsibility,” said libero Max Riter (‘25). 

Players greatly appreciated the consistent leadership provided by coaches during the season. Head coach Erin McFall and assistant coach Ross Yu guided players throughout the year and enhanced their high school volleyball experiences. 

“They’ve definitely taught me so much about the game and I’ve loved playing with all of them because they have been really supportive of me and my volleyball career. [They] are really understanding and respectful and also have really provided a lot of fun memories for us,” said Clinton.